“Our intention in updating the terms was to communicate that we’d like to experiment with innovative advertising that feels appropriate on Instagram. Instead it was interpreted by many that we were going to sell your photos to others without any compensation. This is not true and it is our mistake that this language is confusing. To be clear: it is not our intention to sell your photos. We are working on updated language in the terms to make sure this is clear.”

It’s a fairly direct assessment of and response to the problem. Of course, we won’t know exactly what’s going on until we can see the updated language, but I would bet that the company will go to great lengths to avoid the sort of uproar it faced today. He goes on to say that the company is trying to avoid the standard tropes of Internet advertisement, like banner ads.

There’s one thing very important to see from Systrom here, and that’s that he is far from the typically cagey Mark Zuckerberg. The immediate response shows a certain willingness to communicate with the consumer, something that can go a long way toward giving social networks longevity. He writes:

I am grateful to everyone for their feedback and that we have a community that cares so much. We need to be clear about changes we make — this is our responsibility to you. One of the main reasons these documents don’t take effect immediately, but instead 30 days from now, is that we wanted to make sure you had an opportunity to raise any concerns. You’ve done that and are doing that, and that will help us provide the clarity you deserve. Thank you for your help in making sure that Instagram continues to thrive and be a community that we’re all proud of. Please stay tuned for updates coming soon.

We’ll see how this all develops, but there’s a moment to breathe and wait right now.